Boston Marathon Bombings

[GeneChing]

One of my kid's classmates ran the marathon with his family. They were already leaving when the bombs went off. They heard them explode.


Stamford's Ryan Matherne Uses Martial Arts To Plan For Marathon (http://stamford.dailyvoice.com/sports/stamfords-ryan-matherne-uses-martial-arts-plan-marathon)
by Tom Renner Sports 04/12/13

http://cdn2.dailyvoice.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Slideshow/55547_10151082602552877_1699727296_o.jpg
Stamford's Ryan Matherne, running in a previous adventure race, will run the Boston Marathon on Monday to raise money for the Connecticut Challenge. Photo Credit: Contributed by Ryan Matherne

STAMFORD, Conn. – Stamford’s Ryan Matherne is quick to tell you that martial arts benefits runners.

Matherne, a martial arts instructor for 12 years who works at The Dojo in Stamford, will run Monday’s Boston Marathon to raise money for the Connecticut Challenge. Readers can donate through his fundraising page. He has raised more than $2,000 so far.

The race will be Matherne’s 15th marathon and his first Boston. He is on a quest to run a marathon in every state. His most recent one was in Virginia last month. He believes his martial arts training goes a long way toward establishing the mental strength to push through at endurance races.

“I’ve had some races where my body is telling me I was not built to do this,’’ Matherne said. “After 2 or 3 miles, my body is telling me it’s time to stop. The martial arts training has given me this whole don’t quit mentality.”

Although Matherne believes martial arts helps runners, he finds runners are reluctant to reciprocate and try martial arts. “I tell a lot of runners that it could help them,’’ he said. “It’s so well-suited for running. I think the flexibility and athleticism in martial arts builds a more durable body.”

Matherne’s first love is martial arts. He owns two black belts and competed on a demonstration team at the National Collegiate Takekwondo Championship at the University of Bridgeport in 2004. He also has a background in theater, including an appearance at the Curtain Call in Stamford.

He has participated in a variety of endurance events, including the Ironman Texas in 2011, the Empire State Building Run-Up and the Gran Fondo Philadelphia Bike Ride. In 2010, he ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon barefoot. In October, he will run a 50-mile ultramarathon in Pennsylvania.

Jon Stellwagen, who recruits endurance athletes to race for the Connecticut Challenge, reached out to Matherne two months ago to see whether he had an interest in racing in Boston. Matherne, who was already training for an Ironman race next month, jumped at the chance.

“When I first found out about it, I didn’t think about the charity aspect of it too much,’’ he said. “I researched it and found out what the charity was doing, and it’s for a terrific cause in helping cancer survivors. I had done some fundraising races before, but nothing of this magnitude.”

Matherne raced a lot last year, running in everything from the Ironman U.S. Championship in New York to an obstacle race in Massachusetts. He’s looking forward to Boston, with its rich history, huge field and fabulous spectators.

“For me it’s a bucket list race,’’ he said. “I knew I would never there with a qualifying time. When the opportunity to came to do it for such a good cause, I couldn’t wait to get the chance. I think it’s going to be awesome.”

[sanjuro_ronin]

I sad day and a truly pathetic act of terrorism.
Like Michael Cain as Alfred said in The Dark Knight, " Some people just like to watch the world burn".

[Drake]

I'm wondering who did it. Doesn't appear to be the usual suspects.

[sanjuro_ronin]

They've made an arrest so...

[MasterKiller]

They've made an arrest so...

Nope...Just a suspect identified. No arrests.

You can almost bet the house this was domestic. Patriots day, in Boston, on the day Income Taxes are due...

Anyone know where 1Bad65 was on Monday?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Nope...Just a suspect identified. No arrests.

You can almost bet the house this was domestic. Patriots day, in Boston, on the day Income Taxes are due...

Anyone know where 1Bad65 was on Monday?

Ah, the media...
When I posted that they said there was an arrest, not there isn't...
Typical media crap, always trying to be the first to break a story.

[Sardinkahnikov]

It has been a tense week in the USA, it seems; somebody sent Obama a letter containing ricin. Probably not the first time it happens, but the timing is, well, interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22190031

[Syn7]

A saudi guy was running from the blast, like everyone else, and of course he was tackled and questioned. He was just a student, I think. That's the arrest people were talking about yesterday. Just racial profiling gone wrong. Far as I know they let him go on his not so merry way. We already have douchebag right wing pundits calling for the destruction of all muslims.


My best guess is that it was rightwing extremists/libertarian extremist types. Looks like their m.o... but who knows. Best to just sit tight and wait. It's sad how we turn on each other when stuff like this happens. I feel sorry for all the people who have or are about to have their rights ****ed on during this investigation.

People need to understand, this is a law enforcement issue, not a military one. Seems some people don't understand the difference. Sad.

[Syn7]

It has been a tense week in the USA, it seems; somebody sent Obama a letter containing ricin. Probably not the first time it happens, but the timing is, well, interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22190031

I heard that a nobody Mississippi senator named Roger Wicker(R) was sent ricin. Didn't hear that it was sent to Obama too. Who is that stupid though? Did they think he opens his own mail? or that anything addressed to anyone in any position of power doesn't have their mail screened?

[bawang]

my heart goes out to the victims. im just glad there wasnt that much life lost.

[Dragonzbane76]

Like Michael Cain as Alfred said in The Dark Knight, " Some people just like to watch the world burn".

batman "how did you finally catch him"

Afred "we burned the forest down."

[X_plosion]

Prayers and sympathy for the victims and their loved ones

[ShaolinDan]

Guess it's been a real tough week in the States. Too much terrible news. Used to go watch the Boston Marathon as a kid, really makes me sad.

[MasterKiller]

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr05/2013/4/19/8/enhanced-buzz-18840-1366373161-4.jpg

Wai Kru gym in Boston.

[MasterKiller]

http://i.imgur.com/LoVJ6om.jpg

[sanjuro_ronin]

Always disturbing when people that seem perfectly "normal" are really seriously ****ed up.

[Lucas]

that guy was one of the bombers? sry i havnt followed this at all

[GeneChing]

I love it when OT threads go on topic, but not this way, not this way at all...:(


Marathon Bombing Suspect’s MMA Instructor: Not The Guy I Used To Know (http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/04/19/bombing-suspects-mma-instructor-not-the-guy-i-used-to-know/)
April 19, 2013 11:12 AM
Heard On WBZ NewsRadio 1030, Local, News, Seen On WBZ-TV, Syndicated Local,

BRIGHTON (CBS) – Tamerlan Tsarnaev was a very talented boxer, according to friends.

He is believed to have trained at Wai Kru Mixed Martial Arts Gym in the Brighton neighborhood in Boston.

WBZ-TV’s Jim Armstrong caught up with Tsarnaev’s former trainer Mark Massey on Friday, who describes the man he remembered as a nice guy.

“He’s not the guy I used to know,” Massey said.” (I’m) shocked just like everybody else.”

Tsarnaev once described himself as not having a single American friend and aspired to be a U.S. Olympic boxer.

[Syn7]

Speaking of explosions...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3iL2EhVsTs


Now that's an explosion. I want to believe it was a legit accident and not negligence. We'll see.

[MasterKiller]

Pic of the dead brother:

http://i.imgur.com/0U0ozqt.jpg

I'm not embedding. View at your own discretion.

[bawang]

feminists wanted it to be a white man, right wingers wanted it to be a muslim. they both got what they wanted.

[Syn7]

Caucasian, but not white. Of middle eastern descent.

[bawang]

Caucasian, but not white. Of middle eastern descent.

they slavs bro

[Syn7]

they slavs bro

Nationally, yes... Genetically, no. At least not completely, he may have a smattering of whoknowswhat.

[bawang]

the getaway car they hijacked had an interfaith tolerance bumper sticker.

[SavvySavage]

Nationally, yes... Genetically, no. At least not completely, he may have a smattering of whoknowswhat.

There is no such thing as middle eastern genetics and Slav genetics. You can't determine someone's "race" by a blood test. The guy is Eastern European. He is a mix of a bunch of different things.

[Jimbo]

Now we're nitpicking. They are ethnic Chechens; Chechnya is technically in western Asia, and they lived in Krygyzstan, in Central Asia, before coming to the U.S. But nobody anywhere is 'pure' anything.

[Lucas]

Now we're nitpicking. They are ethnic Chechens; Chechnya is technically in western Asia, and they lived in Krygyzstan, in Central Asia, before coming to the U.S. But nobody anywhere is 'pure' anything.

I'm 100% pure Badass.

[mawali]

Caucasian, but not white. Of middle eastern descent.

The Caucasian Republics were never European. When the nascent Russian army began to conquer the region (Armenia was part of it) they injected a quasi European sentiment that treated the 'natives' as backward and uncivilized and post Soviet military doctrine enforced that policy. So naturally they (the alleged terrorists) are free to rise up and equal the destruction of whom they perceive as an enemy, rightfully or wrongfully.:confused:

I am not sure where the 'white' comes in but based on US North American racial ideology, they are white or can be considers as such. If they are badass as they are made out to be, then they may be made 'black or brown based on other attributes:cool:

[Scott R. Brown]

It is irrelevant what race they are, it is what they did that makes them bad guys!

[Syn7]

I don't like the term "white, black, brown" there is too much confusion created and anthropologist do not classify by "colour". Technically an east Indian is caucasoid. Take the guys in question. They have lighter skin but the bone structure of the peoples south of the caucus region. There are 4 major classifications and they are well into the caucasoid class.

The history and background of the people in that region is well documented. Think about how islam got there and who came with it. That isn't to say they are all from Mecca, lol. Every step in that path creates more dilution and diversity. Chechnya is a bit of a melting pot when it comes to the whole white/brown thing. Looking at it in color just confuses the issue.

For the record, I never said middle eastern was a genetic classification.

[Syn7]

Honestly, I was one of the people who hoped it was anyone but a muslim. It's sad how a whole class of people are demonized by the actions of extremists. This islamophobia **** is ridiculous. It seemed that the eastern european muslims were being glossed over and the focus was on arabs for awhile. Hopefully they don't get treated poorly now because of this. We always overreact to stuff like this when we should put the focus solely where it belongs.

[Drake]

I did call this, btw...

[mawali]

Honestly, I was one of the people who hoped it was anyone but a muslim. It's sad how a whole class of people are demonized by the actions of extremists. This islamophobia **** is ridiculous. It seemed that the eastern european muslims were being glossed over and the focus was on arabs for awhile. Hopefully they don't get treated poorly now because of this. We always overreact to stuff like this when we should put the focus solely where it belongs.

Actually, Eastern Europeans (Dagestani, Chechnya, Korabash, etc) are treated better in Turkey, Bulgaria and the ubiquitious Middle East then in Europe proper.
The best indicator is and should be behavioral only! Blaming people who have nothing to do with an act is asinine but that has been the media talking points and sadly, will remain so. I hope I am wrong!

[Syn7]

I hope you're wrong too. Unfortunately we both know that this will get ugly for some groups.



How so, Drake? The homegrown aspect? The Chechnya angle? The Islam thing? The isolation of immigrants thing? or all the above?

[SavvySavage]

The Caucasian Republics were never European. When the nascent Russian army began to conquer the region (Armenia was part of it) they injected a quasi European sentiment that treated the 'natives' as backward and uncivilized and post Soviet military doctrine enforced that policy. So naturally they (the alleged terrorists) are free to rise up and equal the destruction of whom they perceive as an enemy, rightfully or wrongfully.:confused:

I am not sure where the 'white' comes in but based on US North American racial ideology, they are white or can be considers as such. If they are badass as they are made out to be, then they may be made 'black or brown based on other attributes:cool:

We can only go by the American way of talking about race and not some made up ideology cause you don't want to offend a peoples that doesn't care about you or how you refer to them.

In America if someon assaults you and the cops ask you what he looked like you better say a racial description or he won't get caught. Your ideology doesn't match with reality cause I know you would say racial description.

The two men in question are terrorists. Not all Chechnyians are but these two idle iota are.

[SavvySavage]

Honestly, I was one of the people who hoped it was anyone but a muslim. It's sad how a whole class of people are demonized by the actions of extremists. This islamophobia **** is ridiculous. It seemed that the eastern european muslims were being glossed over and the focus was on arabs for awhile. Hopefully they don't get treated poorly now because of this. We always overreact to stuff like this when we should put the focus solely where it belongs.

The saying is still true. Not all Muslims are terrorists but MOST terrorists are Muslim. Maybe you should stop being in denial and just accept. this fact.

[SavvySavage]

I did call this, btw...

Who did you say it was?

[Syn7]

The saying is still true. Not all Muslims are terrorists but MOST terrorists are Muslim. Maybe you should stop being in denial and just accept. this fact.

Of all the terrorist attacks in N. America, right wing extremists come in at #1. Add up all the abortion clinics and all that crap and it far exceeds the attacks by Muslims. It just so happens that the Muslim thing is hot right now.

If you cherry pick your sample size you can show anything you want. We can't allow contemporary issues to skew our view on the whole of our history.

Terrorism is a dickhead move, PERIOD, and I'm not making excuses for muslim extremists who commit acts of terror. I'm just sayin... A lil objectivity goes a long way.

[Syn7]

We can only go by the American way of talking about race and not some made up ideology cause you don't want to offend a peoples that doesn't care about you or how you refer to them.

In America if someon assaults you and the cops ask you what he looked like you better say a racial description or he won't get caught. Your ideology doesn't match with reality cause I know you would say racial description.

The two men in question are terrorists. Not all Chechnyians are but these two idle iota are.

They are as Chechnyan as an English kid who came to the states with his parents at the age of like 9 or 5 is English. Notice how the younger one assimilated more easily. You could make the argument that their parents were, and of course parents have influence. But they were just as much American as they were Chechnyan.

[SavvySavage]

They are as Chechnyan as an English kid who came to the states with his parents at the age of like 9 or 5 is English. Notice how the younger one assimilated more easily. You could make the argument that their parents were, and of course parents have influence. But they were just as much American as they were Chechnyan.

Yeah but they moved here. They weren't born and raised here. Just saying.

[SavvySavage]

They are as Chechnyan as an English kid who came to the states with his parents at the age of like 9 or 5 is English. Notice how the younger one assimilated more easily. You could make the argument that their parents were, and of course parents have influence. But they were just as much American as they were Chechnyan.

Look, I'm not trying to be a d-bag but you're not being objective. You're subjectively bending facts to fit your ideology.

You can't compare abortion clinic killings to Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. Islamic terrorism is happening all over the world.

http://www.samizdata.net/2008/10/what-about-abor-1/

[Drake]

Caucasian-looking terrorists from Chechnya is what I called. Someone here even had my quote in their sig.

[Syn7]

Look, I'm not trying to be a d-bag but you're not being objective. You're subjectively bending facts to fit your ideology.

You can't compare abortion clinic killings to Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. Islamic terrorism is happening all over the world.

http://www.samizdata.net/2008/10/what-about-abor-1/

And what is my ideology again? Please, remind me.

[SavvySavage]

And what is my ideology again? Please, remind me.

Left leaning Obama loving liberal

[SavvySavage]

And what is my ideology again? Please, remind me.

Left leaning Obama living America hating politically correct liberal who feels it ok to live in America but feels it's ok to crap on it still. Did I forget anything?

[Drake]

Left leaning Obama living America hating politically correct liberal who feels it ok to live in America but feels it's ok to crap on it still. Did I forget anything?

I don't think Syn is an American, guy.

[David Jamieson]

Honestly, I was one of the people who hoped it was anyone but a muslim. It's sad how a whole class of people are demonized by the actions of extremists. This islamophobia **** is ridiculous. It seemed that the eastern european muslims were being glossed over and the focus was on arabs for awhile. Hopefully they don't get treated poorly now because of this. We always overreact to stuff like this when we should put the focus solely where it belongs.

You ever deal with Islamic folk at all? Not that you can't, but in a broad sense you will be rejected as the infidel you are. Moderates aside, and really, religious moderates are the ones who are non-observant and seem to preserve their lip service to their religion for cultural, filial, ethnic solidarity, etc means.

Bottom line is that in the right wing or fundamental views of the apocalyptic religions if you aren't one of the flock so to speak, you are fodder. Less than human .

[Syn7]

Yes, actually I have. There is a large Muslim community where I grew up. Mostly Persian and Arab. Not so much with the eastern Europeans. Some, but a drop in the bucket in comparison. Some were lip service Muslims, some were devout muslims. Most were nice people who minded their own and treated me with the same courtesy and respect that I gave them.

If you wanna get down to it, all 3 books from that "region" are horrible when followed literally to the letter.

Are Christians who don't murder adulterers just lip service Christians? Or are they people of faith who understand that today's world is not the same world we had 2000 years ago?


IMO the Boston bombings are more about alienation and disenfranchisement than it is about Islam. This is exactly what people mean when they talk about the consequences of Islamophobia and racial profiling. And it's not just with Islamic immigrants, you can apply it to African Americans joining street gangs and stuff like that too. When people are treated noticeably differently in a negative way we tend to have negative consequences. Inclusion and respect go a long way. I have seen you write it a bunch of times, love and acceptance will get you a lot further than hatred and animosity.

And don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying we shouldn't be aware of extremists of any type and deal with them accordingly. I'm just saying it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy when you treat people this way.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Terrorists are people that believe the ends justify the means, people that believe that violence against people is a valid, even preferred, method of resolving issues. terrorists are people that have a grudge against a society or segment of society and then grudge is, typically, used and feed by a 3rd party with, typically, political gains in mind.

There are many excuses that are used to "motivate" a terrorists, things like religion and class are popular, but the real root tends to be either tribalism or egalitarianism.
Making a person feel part of something when they are not part of anything is crucial.

You can never underestimate the role of ethnic background.
I was born in Portugal but has been in Canada most of my life, I am a citizen and have served BUT I still view myself as Portuguese-Canadian and still view my ethnicity as Portuguese.

I know people that were BORN here and because of the strength of their ethnic culture in their life, view themselves more Italian or Spanish or Turkish then Canadian.

[David Jamieson]

If you move a bunch of people into your country from countries that you are bombing fr a decade, you're gonna eventually have problems m'kay?

There's a lot of factors at play here. That's all I'm saying. People do things for reasons. they aren't just "crazy" They are angry for being marginalized and stepped on and pressed down or perceiving it to be done to them.

We can't commit our explained away or hidden atrocities upon people far away in the name of commerce and political ideology without the blow back from those actions coming back at us. It's pretty simple.

And now, with people who identify with the "enemy" in numbers inside the gates that are higher than they have ever been by way of immigration etc are a reality, it's gonna get crappier and crappier.

It's just gonna keep happening as long as the world functions as is now. The power constructs are the same and plutocracy and oligarchy is growing. I'm pretty sure we can expect more of this kind of stuff going forward.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Its very easy and desirable to put the blame on some ideology ( religion or whatnot) because we think that if we eliminate it ( whatever it may be at the time) we will be safe.
BS.
The simple fact is that PEOPLE are the problem.
Certain people will always find the "right thing" to justify the one simple fact that drives them to harm others: They Hate and they want to see others suffer.
They like to see the "world burn".
I won't use the term "evil" because that will get us in to philosophical debate that misses the concrete issue that CERTAIN PEOPLE will find any excuse to harm others AND ENJOY It.

[mawali]

Left leaning Obama living America hating politically correct liberal who feels it ok to live in America but feels it's ok to crap on it still. Did I forget anything?

yeh! What do you call Tim McVeigh and his ilk? Or those who, knowing that the Nazis were defeated (allegedly). adopt their philosophy knowing it is allowed in USA because of free speech i.e to talk as they wish, march, demonstrate or clean the highways of this great nation:confused:

[RenDaHai]

'Tis a rare man whose morals are fully known to himself. Many are not so strong in their conviction and must lean on a supporting pillar of false ideology to guide them through life's more difficult decisions.

True privilege in life is not from wealth or beauty, but from loving mentors who inspire a mind of self reflection. This abounds in our western culture, more so than in much of the world. Culture is an immensely precious and fragile thing. And a child learns more in his first few years, even without speech, than in the rest of his life. To impart good culture is the highest goal of society.

But alas! Wise culture takes many generations to impart her subtle lessons. This cannot be ignored. The world is moving too fast!

We in our technology have created a world where all cultures are mixed. In our quest for virtuous governing of this melting pot often the less informed of us follow false virtues, opposite extremes. They come up with 'positive discrimination' and 'cultural relativism' which are simply 'racism' and 'xenophobia' under more insidious guises. For you see opposite extremes generate one another.

In such a fast moving world, these heinous things will happen. Is the source this meeting of incompatible ideals between cultures, or are some people just animals?

[sanjuro_ronin]

'

In such a fast moving world, these heinous things will happen. Is the source this meeting of incompatible ideals between cultures, or are some people just animals?

Honestly?
Some people are just "animals".
Some people believe that the ends justifies the means.
Some people truly want to see the world burn.

[RenDaHai]

Honestly?
Some people are just "animals".
Some people believe that the ends justifies the means.
Some people truly want to see the world burn.

Hmmm, Perhaps.

But these 'ends', these goals, are they not defined by a disturbed culture or ideal?

True in order to set about them the person would have to be already broken, but would taking away their excuses not help to prevent them?

A fable if you'll indulge me:

Zeus bade the Titan Prometheus to make man and animals from clay. When finished he showed Zeus, but Zeus said there were far too many animals and too few humans and told Prometheus to re-address the balance. Alas, Prometheus had already used all of the magic clay. So instead of making more humans he took some animals and changed their outward form to appear human. Zeus was fooled. But the unbreakable human soul could not be reforged.

So it is today as it was then that some people have the forms of men but the souls of beasts.


From this Aesopian fable we can see that this problem has always been and possibly it is a natural state of the world that some people are inhuman. Maybe it cannot be helped.

But a malicious individual working alone can not do any where near as much damage as many working together, or even two (brothers) as is the case here. Perhaps there are aspects of culture that force these broken people together, and give them excuses that multiply their animosity.

[sanjuro_ronin]

People that like chaos over order, people that like to see others suffer, they tend to attract liked minded people.
No man is an Island and that goes for what is "good" and "bad".
Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Po attracted to "their cause" like minded people.
Yes, these people tend to be in the minority but they also tend to exploit the complacency and apathy of those that are NOT extremists like they are.
That is why so man can be ruled/controlled/terrorized by so few.

We must ignore the excuses we WANT to blame these things on because they are not so. We must accept the horrific truth that some people, people we CAN NOT "pigeon hole" are people that just want to watch the world burn and that we can't blame it on things we HOPE we can eradicate, we must put the blame on THEM ( and to a certain extent the society that allows their way of being to be "feed").

[Oso]

so, I play WoW, and yesterday *I saw* this other toon *that* was named after the younger suspect.

I thought this in very poor taste.

[Syn7]

Left leaning Obama living America hating politically correct liberal who feels it ok to live in America but feels it's ok to crap on it still. Did I forget anything?

Left leaning, sure, but not what Americans consider left. Obama fan? Not a chance. Living in America, nope, but I did live in the bay for awhile. And yeah, you forgot a ton. Nice try tho. Back to the end of the line for you.

You act like Americans should be so grateful they live there that they should just shut up and take whatever they get. That is "un-American". Imagine if your forefathers subscribed to that kind of weakminded bull****.

Take nothing for granted, question everything.

Would anyone here actually accuse me of being politically correct? lol. I have the mouth of a truck driver and I have never been shy about sharing my opinions.

And politically, I'm an independent. I like to think for myself and vote on actual issues and the merit of the people running. As for your diverse :rolleyes: political system, I only like the dems slightly more than the republicans. Which is not very much. It's just a shell game with most of those dicks.

[GeneChing]

First Tsarnaev is connected to MMA and now a Ricin (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1225874#post1225874) suspect is a TKD guy? And I thought our forum going wonky was a bad time for the martial arts. Not even going to go into the Elvis (http://www.martialartsmart.com/kb-110.html) connection.


Today 10:55am 4,319 41
Cleared Ricin Suspect Claims Frame-Up Over Martial Arts or Elvis Feud (http://gawker.com/cleared-ricin-suspect-claims-frame-up-over-martial-arts-479501016)

Sometime Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis, cleared yesterday of charges that he'd sent poison ricin-laced letters to President Obama and other public officials, now claims he was framed by another man. Over a martial arts feud.

J. Everett Dutschke, a Tae Kwon Do instructor and "longtime personal enemy" of Curtis', has not been charged with a crime, but investigators searched his house yesterday and law-enforcement sources told CNN that authorities "are investigating whether someone may have tried to falsely implicate" Curtis.

And why would Dutschke attempt to frame Curtis? TPM explains:

Curtis provided further details about the feud at the press conference when reporters asked him about his relationship with Dutschke. He claimed he did not know Dutschke well, but had received angry messages from him and heard indications from others that Dutschke had a major grudge against him. Curtis implied Dutschke may have developed these negative feelings towards him when they studied taekwondo together or because of his career as an Elvis impersonator. According to Curtis, one of the messages he received from Dutschke was an email saying, “I’ve created a band called Robodrum and we’re going to throw you off the national circuit.”

Robodrum is Dutschke's band, which performs "Live-Loop Oriented Rock with tons of lasers."

[Oso]

Pic of the dead brother:

http://i.imgur.com/0U0ozqt.jpg

I'm not embedding. View at your own discretion.

whoa, I wonder what caused the hole in the side? getting run over?

[Drake]

whoa, I wonder what caused the hole in the side? getting run over?

Bullets can do that.

[Oso]

i guess with the right angle it just ripped across the ribs.

I also guess that they had to try and keep him alive.

[Vash]

I hate to be one of those guys that posts an "I heard that" info line, but . . .

I read an article earlier today which stated the bomber who was taken into custody was not read the Miranda rights, and was going to be tried as an enemy combatant. Is this true?

[Syn7]

Yes at first. But since they have and he will have a real trial. Death penalty case, I'm sure.

And I'm glad he was read out. It's a slippery slope when we start picking and choosing like that. He was an american and he was not affiliated to any other gov agency or terror group. Case closed. This is a straight up law enforcement issue.

And don't get me started on the whole shutting down the city thing. Won't be long till they start using LAV's to clear out rowdy college parties. :rolleyes:

[Vash]

That's a good thing. We're too good a country to throw away that kind of freedom.

Not related, but there is a trial going on in Little Rock, Ar concerning the Occupy Little Rock movement. There was a law on the books making any group of two or more people who were on public land (parks, sidewalks) to be ticketed or arrested for not having purchased a permit. This included birthday parties, according to a police officer on the stand.

[Brule]

I hate to be one of those guys that posts an "I heard that" info line, but . . .

I read an article earlier today which stated the bomber who was taken into custody was not read the Miranda rights, and was going to be tried as an enemy combatant. Is this true?

Don't quote me on it but it had to do with the fact that the feds felt there to be an imminent threat to it's citizens so they delayed in reading the Miranda in order to extract as much info as possible. Not sure, but I think they introduced that after 9/11. From what I understand they read him his Miranda a day or two ago. All this could have gone for not as he could have just lawyered up right away.

I hate doing this without a source but I can't seem to find it anymore but I thought I read that the younger brother actually ran over his older brother with the stolen vehicle after the gun fight and in custody, resulting in his death. Can anyone else confirm this?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Don't quote me on it but it had to do with the fact that the feds felt there to be an imminent threat to it's citizens so they delayed in reading the Miranda in order to extract as much info as possible. Not sure, but I think they introduced that after 9/11. From what I understand they read him his Miranda a day or two ago. All this could have gone for not as he could have just lawyered up right away.

I hate doing this without a source but I can't seem to find it anymore but I thought I read that the younger brother actually ran over his older brother with the stolen vehicle after the gun fight and in custody, resulting in his death. Can anyone else confirm this?

Yes to all the above from what I gather.
The running over incident was due to his brother being held down by 2 police officers when the younger brother drove towards them, they jumped out of the way and he ran over his older brother.

They were not prepared to make their escape at all it seems.

[Syn7]

Ibragim Todashev's father: FBI 'bandits' murdered my son

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/30/father-chechen-man-killed-fbi-inquiry

[GeneChing]

In 2011 Murder Inquiry, Hints of Missed Chance to Avert Boston Bombing (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/us/boston-bombing-suspect-is-said-to-be-linked-to-2011-triple-murder-case.html?pagewanted=all)
By SERGE F. KOVALESKI and RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
Published: July 10, 2013

WALTHAM, Mass. — It was the most brazen crime in the memory of this Boston suburb: three men murdered with knife slashes to their throats in a second-floor apartment at 12 Harding Avenue; each corpse precisely positioned, stomach down, head turned a quarter to the right, marijuana sprinkled on top.

The case has remained unsolved since the bodies were discovered on Sept. 12, 2011. It is now back in the investigative spotlight as evidence mounts, according to law enforcement officials, that one of the suspects in the April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, participated in the killings.

On Wednesday, Mr. Tsarnaev’s younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, the surviving suspect in the bombings, appeared in court for arraignment, the first time he had been seen by the public since he was discovered, covered in blood, hiding in a boat in a Watertown, Mass., backyard. He pleaded not guilty to all 30 counts against him.

But the emerging evidence against his brother, who died on April 19 after a shootout with the police, has led some law enforcement authorities to contend that if the local murder investigation had been more vigorous it could have led to his apprehension well before the bombings left 3 dead and more than 260 wounded — in short, that the bombings might never have happened.

Even before Ibragim Todashev, his friend and boxing partner, implicated himself and Mr. Tsarnaev prior to being killed during an F.B.I. interrogation in late May, federal investigators had been gathering information against Mr. Tsarnaev using “old-fashioned” police work, a senior law enforcement official said. They “went through his phone, did interviews, got his contacts — a combination of all that.” They believe the two men targeted the victims, one of whom was a close friend, in a drug-related robbery.

Relatives and friends of the Waltham murder victims — Brendan Mess, 25, Erik Weissman, 31, and Raphael Teken, 37 — have long contended that the authorities were too quick to write off the murders as the unfortunate outcome of a low-level drug dispute and that they failed to do basic policing work that could have solved the case.

Mr. Mess, a popular martial arts instructor, was believed to have been running a drug-dealing operation from the apartment. Mr. Weissman, a chess player and Chinese food lover who was a founder of a glass pipe company and had been temporarily staying at the apartment, was working on a plea deal stemming from an earlier drug arrest. Mr. Teken, known as Rafi, was a 1998 graduate of Brandeis University.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was, by many accounts, one of Mr. Mess’s closest friends and a frequent visitor to the Harding Avenue apartment. But three law enforcement officials familiar with the case said that Massachusetts state troopers and the Waltham police, working under the auspices of the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, never questioned him — either as a potential suspect or as someone who could provide valuable information about the victims.

Several friends said in recent interviews that they told the police about Mr. Tsarnaev when they were questioned. “The police wanted to know who all the friends were in the group, and I told them about Tamerlan,” said one close friend of Mr. Mess, adding that at least three other friends gave the authorities Mr. Tsarnaev’s name, as well.

When Mr. Tsarnaev did not show up at either Mr. Mess’s funeral or memorial service, the friend became uneasy.

“We did mention Tamerlan again to the police after he was not there for Brendan’s services,” said the friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the notoriety of the case. “I felt that the police were not really looking in the right places.”

In the immediate aftermath of the murders, investigators theorized that the killings had been the work of professionals, based on the savageness of the attacks on the three victims, at least two of whom were adept at martial arts, and the lack of evidence at the scene. One early theory was that the assailants might have been part of a “cartel” that felt betrayed by one of the men, according to two law enforcement officials. They said that at least two people had been at the apartment near the time of the deaths, that the killers most likely knew their victims, and that the homicides were not random.

Since the bombings, some Jewish publications have speculated that because the bodies were discovered the day after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, that they could have been a hate crime, particularly since both Mr. Weissman and Mr. Teken were Jewish. “I told the police that there were only two Muslims I knew of who hung around the group of friends, and because of the 9/11 date, the fact that Tamerlan and Brendan’s last girlfriend were Muslim stood out,” the friend said.

Mr. Weissman’s mother, Bellie Hacker, recalled meeting with investigators about 10 days after the murders, describing them as “honest in their assessments, but passive and waiting.”

“The police told us, ‘This is what we think may happen.’ That in the future, someone with information might come forward and admit it and seek a plea deal,” Ms. Hacker said.

Gerry Leone, who oversaw the Waltham investigation as the district attorney until leaving his post in mid-April to join a law firm, declined to comment on the inquiry, as did a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office and a spokesman for the state police. One law enforcement official close to the case denied that anyone suggested that they look at Mr. Tsarnaev in the aftermath of the killings: “Don’t you think if someone had told us to take a look at him and that he had information, we would have talked to him?”

At the Brookline Lunch diner in Cambridge, where Mr. Mess was a regular (often eating there with Mr. Weissman and sometimes with Mr. Tsarnaev), investigators failed to show up. They “never called us over here at his hangout place or came to ask questions,” Jamal Abu Rubieh, who owns the diner with his wife, Manal. (One of their dishes, Brendan Benedict, was posthumously named for Mr. Mess, and a photo of Mr. Mess with relatives and friends hangs on a wall in the restaurant.)

continued in next post

[GeneChing]

No one came to the Wai Kru mixed martial arts gym either, where Mr. Mess worked out occasionally with Mr. Tsarnaev. In the days after the bombing, federal authorities came to ask questions, however — first about Mr. Tsarnaev, and later about Mr. Mess and the Waltham case.

John Allan, the gym’s owner, said that he was struck by Mr. Tsarnaev’s unemotional reaction to Mr. Mess’s murder. In an interview, he recounted a conversation a few days after the killings.

“As I said something, there was kind of a smile on Tamerlan’s face, and he laughed it off,” Mr. Allan recalled. “He laughed off the fact that he was murdered, like: ‘Aw, man. It’s crazy right? Huh huh. It’s crazy right? I guess if you do that, that’s what’s going to happen.' ”

Mr. Allan said there was no hint of grief. “That really shocked me.”

Mr. Tsarnaev’s wife, Katherine Russell, too, was perplexed by how untroubled her husband seemed about the death of his close friend, according a person with direct knowledge of the situation. She found out about the murders through local news reports, and when she spoke to her husband about the tragedy, he speculated matter-of-factly that they were the result of a drug deal gone awry, the person said.

The gym was also an occasional hangout for Mr. Todashev, whom Mr. Tsarnaev introduced to the facility. Mr. Allan said that he believes he was the first one to tell the authorities about Mr. Todashev and his relationship with Mr. Tsarnaev. Summing up his reasons, Mr. Allan said, “He’s got a bad temper, he clearly has anti-American sentiment, a radical-style Muslim who was training with Tamerlan at this gym, and at the end praying towards Mecca with him.”

One person whom investigators did interview on several occasions was Mr. Mess’s most recent girlfriend, a Muslim like Mr. Tsarnaev. Some friends and relatives of the victims are suspicious of her, and in an interview for this article, she acknowledged that she had a fiery relationship with Mr. Mess at times and had once thrown a bottle of balsamic vinegar at him.

The girlfriend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she did not want her name associated with the case, insisted that she had no part in the murders and had hoped to marry Mr. Mess, whom she started dating about nine months before his death. She said that she believes she told investigators that Mr. Tsarnaev, whom she knew as “Tam,” was a regular guest at the Waltham apartment, but that the authorities never followed up with her about him.

She added that parts of her boyfriend’s relationship with Mr. Tsarnaev were cloaked in mystery, citing as one example a conversation the two men had shortly before she left on a trip to Miami the week before the killings.

“Tam asked Brendan, ‘Are we going to do that thing?' ” she recalled. “And I asked Brendan what that was, and he told me not to worry about it.”

A Massachusetts legislator who talked to neighbors the day the bodies were found and has closely followed the case, Representative John J. Lawn, asserted that the investigation was “thoroughly done.”

Since there were no signs of forced entry, “it had to be someone they trusted to let them into that apartment,” he said. But the lack of clues fueled what he called “the consensus” that developed about the murders. “It was very professionally done,” he said.

One law enforcement official said the murders were part of a “drug rip-off.” The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing, said the authorities were able to put together “a lot of circumstantial pieces” that they used to pressure Mr. Todashev into implicating himself and Mr. Tsarnaev.

Investigators have been helped by DNA evidence taken from Mr. Tsarnaev after his death that they are using as part of the Waltham investigation, according to the official, who believes that local investigators did not have such forensic evidence before the bombings. Another friend of Mr. Mess said that after the bombings, investigators told him “they have info that may have placed Tam with Brendan the day before or night of the killings.”

An F.B.I. agent investigating the bombings interviewed Mr. Todashev about Mr. Tsarnaev in his Orlando, Fla., apartment in May and he began to provide information about the Waltham case. To get him to talk, the investigators “made him believe he’s done, and the only way he could help himself is confess and lay out the details of what had happened,” a law enforcement official said. Mr. Todashev “flipped out” and attacked the agent and was then shot at least a half-dozen times in circumstances that still remain unclear.

The senior law enforcement official said that at the time Mr. Todashev was shot, two Massachusetts state police investigators had left the room to inform a prosecutor that Mr. Todashev was admitting he and Mr. Tsarnaev had carried out the Waltham murders. This official said that Mr. Tsarnaev “was more of a wannabe drug dealer than a big one. He was dealing dope, marijuana, low-level stuff.”

The nature of Mr. Todashev’s sudden admission and shooting have left some close to the victims skeptical about the official account of what happened. But it has also stirred frustration about what they saw as a lackluster investigation after the 2011 murders.

Susan Zalkind, a friend of Mr. Weissman’s and a freelance journalist who has been looking into the case since 2011, said she remains surprised how few friends of victims the police talked to. “Despite being one of the most gruesome and unusual crimes of the year, I saw the least amount of public outreach,” she said.

William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting from New York, Michael S. Schmidt from Washington, and Jess Bidgood from Boston. Sheelagh McNeill, Alain Delaquérière, Lisa Schwartz and Kitty Bennett contributed research.
such a shame.

[Syn7]

Just goes to show how much damage biased assumptions can really do. It's pretty sad.

[GeneChing]

Some martially-relevent follow up...

Why the Boston Marathon bombing made me watch mixed martial arts (http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-04-21/why-boston-marathon-bombing-made-me-watch-mixed-martial-arts)
PRI's The World
Reporter Andrea Crossan
April 21, 2014 · 3:00 PM EDT

http://www.pri.org/sites/default/files/styles/story_main/public/story/images/IMG_4187.JPG?itok=XfDQl2rP
Credit: Monica Campbell
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a renowned MMA fighter, from the Caucasus region.

On April 19, 2013, the city of Boston was under lock down.

Overnight, there had been a shooting, a carjacking, a chase, a gun battle with police. The Tsarnaev brothers had been identified as suspects in the marathon bombings.

Tamerlan was dead and police were looking for his brother, Dzhokhar. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick asked Boston residents to shelter in place.

"In other words," he said. "Stay indoors with [your] doors locked and [don't] open the door for anyone other than a properly identified law enforcement officer. And that applies here in Watertown where we are right now, also Cambridge, Waltham, Newton, Belmont and at this point all of Boston, all of Boston."

And so I sheltered in place. During the course of that day, images of the Tsarnaevs were everywhere on TV. Many of the photos were of Tamerlan sparring at a mixed martial arts gym called Wai Kru. I knew the Wai Kru gym.

I live above it.

It made me wonder how many times I may have walked my dog past Tamerlan going in to train. Before that day, I'd never had an interest in that gym below my apartment. But now, I wanted to know what drew Tsarnaev to Wai Kru and to mixed martial arts.

What I discovered was, for young men like Tamerlan, MMA fighting was an obvious outlet.

The sport is huge in the Caucasus region. And for those who are good at it, it can be a ticket to the American dream.

That's how I discovered Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov is a mixed martial arts fighter. Like the Tsarnaev's, Nurmagomedov has roots in the North Caucasus. He's Muslim and from the same native ethnic group, called Avar.

But that's where the similarities end. Nurmagomedov is a success story. He trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. Javier Mendez is his coach.

"He's very dedicated, a very hard worker, extremely focussed and extremely talented," Mendez said.

Nurmagomedov is in the lightweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

He currently has one of the longest undefeated streaks, with 22 consecutive victories. Nurmagomedov, called "The Eagle," is known well in the US and in his home of Dagestan.

He said he chose the Eagle nickname because it's the symbol of his home. It's also why he wears a huge lambskin hat before his bouts.

“The Papakha is the symbol of my people," said Nurmagomedov. "All the elder people wear it — not just my people but all the people of the Caucasus. I know that the UFC is more than just a sport, it's a business. You need to have a show. For Americans, the hat is exotic. Many think it's a wig. No, it’s not a wig. I tell them it's the symbol of my people.”

There are about 9 million people in the North Caucasus. And they breed fighters.

Nurmagomedov has been fighting since he was a child. There's a video set to music of an eight-year-old Nurmagomedov wrestling with a bear cub.

The adults stand around and watch as the 8-year-old grapples with a bear larger than he is. Nurmagomedov laughs off the bear wrestling. But he's dead serious about his career.

Mixed martial arts combines Thai boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the Russian martial art called Sambo. Like most MMA fighters from Russia and the Caucasus, Nurmagomedov's strongest discipline is Sambo. Sambo was created by the Soviet Army to improve soldiers' hand-to-hand combat abilities.

Nurmagomedov says eventually he wants to open an MMA gym back in Dagestan. Fight fans might not know that 'The Eagle' is from Dagestan or where Dagestan is. He's just that fighter who wears that crazy white wig.

“They say 'are you from Pakistan, or Kazakhstan?' I'm always explaining that Dagestan is a republic of Russia and that it’s in the south of Russia near the Caspian Sea," he said.

For young men like Nurmagomedov, the mixed martial arts gym is a home away from home. It's a community where they fit in. They can meet people who speak their language and understand their culture.

I don't know why Tamerlan Tsarnaev liked going to the Wai Kru gym. I don't know if he imagined having the success that Nurmagomedov has achieved. And I still don't know that much about mixed martial arts.

But I follow The Eagle.

On April 19, 2014, he fought a Brazilian fighter, Rafael dos Anjos. Nurmagomedov won. It was a unanimous decision.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZvCgSmV9JA
Young UFC Fighter Khabib Numagomedov wrestling with a bear!

http://www.pri.org/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_image/public/story/gallery/IMG_4063.JPG?itok=q47QKttk
Credit: Monica Campbell
Khabib Nurmagomedov came to the US to compete in MMA.
IMG_4102.JPG

Andrea Crossan is a Boston-based senior producer for The World. She follows all things Canadian and has a dog the size of a small horse.